Dippler and EduFeedr: two approaches to blog-based

courses

Hans PõldojaTallinn University

Development of TEL systems in TLU

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

LMS's and lightweight

VLE's

Experiments with weblogs

Digital learning

ecosystems

LePress

Three generations of TEL systems

Dimension 1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation

Software architecture

Pedagogical foundation

Content management

Dominant affordances

Desktop software Single-server monolithic system

Cloud architecture, mobile clients

Stimulus-response- reinforcement

Pedagogical neutrality Social constructivism, connectivism

Content was integrated Separated from software, re-usable

Open, web-based, embeddable, placed

outside, rich metadata

Presentation, drill, test Presentation, assignments

Reflection, sharing, remixing, tagging,

mashups, recommenders

(Laanpere, Pata, Normak, & Põldoja, 2012)

EduFeedr

Course blog

Learner blogs

Blog-based course before...

... and after EduFeedr

Course blog

Learner blogs

EduFeedr

Atom

AtomAtom

Atom

AtomAtom

Atom

Atom

Atom

Atom

http://www.edufeedr.net

ManyEyes visualization

Publications about EduFeedr

Põldoja, H. (2010). EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses. In Open ED 2010 Proceedings. Barcelona: UOC, OU, BYU. http://hdl.handle.net/10609/4861

Põldoja, H., Savitski, P., & Laanpere, M. (2010). Aggregating Student Blogs with EduFeedr. Lessons Learned from First Tryouts. In F. Wild, M. Kalz & M. Palmér (Eds.). Mashup Personal Learning Environments 2010. Aachen: CEUR-WS.

Aggregating Student Blogs with EduFeedr: Lessons Learned from the First Tryouts

Hans Põldoja1, Pjotr Savitski1, Mart Laanpere1

1 Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia

{Hans.Poldoja, Pjotr.Savitski, Mart.Laanpere}@tlu.ee

Abstract. EduFeedr is a specially designed feed reader for following, managing and supporting the learning activities in blog-based courses. This paper describes the technical implementation of EduFeedr and discusses the results of the initial evaluation after using the prototype with real learners. The main challenges were related with limitations of Web content syndication technologies while aggregating blog posts and comments from course blogs. This paper proposes solutions to overcome these limitations.

Keywords: mash-up learning environments, web syndication

1 Introduction

Web 2.0 has opened up a lot of choices for innovative educators. Early adopters have abandoned centralized learning management systems and started to experiment with using blogs, wikis and social networking sites in their courses. However, these new tools have brought up new kind of problems. One of the challenges is related with the increase of the teacher’s overhead work while managing, following and supporting student activities, which take place in a distributed learning environment.

This article builds on our previous publication where we presented the conceptual design of EduFeedr [1]. EduFeedr is an educationally enhanced feed reader, designed specifically for courses that take place in a distributed learning environment where all students use their personal blogs and other social software. It is designed so that only teachers have a user account in EduFeedr but anyone can access it for monitoring course activities.

In the second section of the paper we give an overview of some related works. After that we present the technical implementation of EduFeedr and discuss the main lessons that we have learned from pilot-testing a prototype of EduFeedr during an eight week long adult education course in Tallinn University. The pilot test was the second phase of our study, which is based on the methodology of design-based research [2]. The main challenge in this phase was effortless and error-prone aggregation of course-related feeds from various blogging platforms used by learners.

EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses, Hans Põldoja

Proceedings | Barcelona Open Ed 2010 | http://openedconference.org/2010/ Universitat Oberta de Catalunya | Open Universiteit Nederland | Brigham Young University

EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses Hans Põldoja Institute of Informatics, Tallinn University.

Abstract In recent years several educators have organized open courses where participants reflect on their personal blogs. With a large number of participants it becomes a challenge to follow all the course discussions. In this paper we present the EduFeedr system that is specifically designed for following and supporting student activities in blog-based courses.

Keywords massive open online courses, personal learning environments, research-based design, web syndication

Recommended citation: Põldoja, H. (2010). EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses. In Open ED 2010 Proceedings. Barcelona: UOC, OU, BYU. [Accessed: dd/mm/yy].< http://hdl.handle.net/10609/4861>

1

Dippler

Digital learning ecosystem

• Ecosystem (biol.) is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (e.g. air, water, light and soil), interacting as a system. Nutricion cycle, energy flow, self-regulation.

• DLE is an adaptive socio-technical system consisting of mutually interacting digital agents (tools, services, content used in learning process) and communities of users (learners, facilitators, trainers, developers) together with their social, economical and cultural environment.

(Laanpere, 2012)

(Laanpere, 2012)

System architecture of Dippler

Social media

Blog Profile

Courses

Activities

RSS

Users

Analytics

Courses

Widgets

Institutional

BOS Middleware: BackOffice Service

CloudStorage

HTTPWS

Types of tasks:PostStructured postArtefact (file) Discussion Self-testTest Group task Offline task

All coursesFeatured

My courses

Course pageSummaryCourse infoOutcomesAnnouncem.ParticipantsGroupsResourcesTasksSettings

Categories

Learner's Wordpress with Dippler plugin

Dippler: institutional client, teacher's tool

IOS app:

mobile client

(Laanpere, Pata, Normak, & Põldoja, 2012)

http://dippler.net

Publications about Dippler

E. Popescu et al. (Eds.): ICWL 2012, LNCS 7558, pp. 307–317, 2012. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Pedagogy-Driven Design of Digital Learning Ecosystems: The Case Study of Dippler

Mart Laanpere, Kai Pata, Peeter Normak, and Hans Põldoja

Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia {Mart.Laanpere,Kai.Pata,Peeter.Normak,Hans.Poldoja}@tlu.ee

Abstract. In most cases, the traditional Web-based learning management sys-tems (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard) have been designed without any built-in sup-port for a preferred pedagogical model or approach. The authors and proponents of such systems have claimed that this kind of inherent "pedagogical neutrality" is a desirable characteristic for a LMS, as it allows teachers to implement vari-ous pedagogical approaches. This study is based on an opposite approach, ar-guing for designing next-generation online learning platforms – so called digital learning ecosystems – with built-in affordances, which promote and enforce desirable pedagogical beliefs, strategies and learning activity patterns while suppressing others. We describe the pedagogy-driven design, development and implementation process of a digital learning ecosystem based on Dippler plat-form, which was guided by a combination of four contemporary pedagogical approaches: self-directed learning, competence-based learning, collaborative knowledge building and task-centered instructional design models.

Keywords: digital learning ecosystems, pedagogy-driven design.

1 Introduction

This study was initially motivated by emerging opposition to the imperative of peda-gogical neutrality of tools and platforms built for Technology-Enhanced Learning [1]. Among others, Koper [2] has argued that e-learning systems should not be biased towards any specific pedagogical approach, in order to allow every teacher to imple-ment the teaching methods of his/her own choice. Some authors have argued that it is almost impossible to build technological tools that are completely pedagogically neu-tral or theory-agnostic. This is why we follow alternative path, proposed by Norm Friesen [3] who advocated the development of ‘pedagogically “engaged” or “com-mitted” conceptions of content and systems that serve specifiable educational purpos-es, situations and methods’.

The main research problem for our study is: how to design next-generation Technolo-gy-Enhanced Learning (TEL) systems with built-in pedagogical affordances, which en-hance innovative teaching and learning practices and reflect modern learning theories?

This paper is seeking the answers to the following research questions: • What constitutes the model for pedagogy-driven design? • Which pedagogical approaches could/should be promoted by the pedagogy-driven

design of the next-generation online learning platforms?

T. Ley et al. (Eds.): OST 2012, IFIP AICT 395, pp. 91–100, 2013. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2013

Designing Dippler — A Next-Generation TEL System

Mart Laanpere, Hans Põldoja, and Peeter Normak

Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia {mart.laanpere,hans.poldoja,peeter.normak}@tlu.ee

Abstract. This paper discusses the conceptual design of Digital Learning Ecosystems, which, as we argue, are becoming the foundation of next-generation Technology-Enhanced Learning systems (TEL systems). We illustrate our argument by a case study on design and development of a Dippler ecosystem. First, the framework for identifying the generations of TEL systems is described and expectations towards next generation of TEL systems are drawn from the literature review. After that, the dialectics of ongoing mainstream discourse (LMS vs PLE) is analysed and platform for reaching the synthesis is drawn. As we argue, the next-generation TEL systems are better understood if not referred as “learning environments”, but rather as Digital Learning Ecosystems. Finally, process and results of a design-based research on Digital Learning Ecosystem called Dippler is described and discussed.

Keywords: learning environment, socio-technical transition, digital learning ecosystem, design-based research.

1 Socio-Technical Transitions and Software System Generations

In the scope of this study, we refer to various types of software application with educational purpose as Technology-Enhanced Learning systems (TEL systems). We are focusing at major shifts in technological platforms of TEL systems across the last 50 years, but also in the ways teachers and students have been using them. As we are interested not only in the structure and design of learning-related software systems, but also their implementation patterns, we decided to set a wider perspective on TEL system as a complex socio-technical system, involving various political, economical, academic and technological aspects.

There is a solid academic foundation for studying socio-technical transitions, starting from Schumpeter [1] who interpreted technological discontinuities as creative destruction, which is a natural part of multi-dimensional innovation process involving changes in products, production processes, markets, supplies and organisations. Christensen [2] has shown that evolution within a technology generation is taking the form of a S-shape curve (see Fig. 1). Ansari & Garud [3] have used Christensen’s approach to explore inter-generational transitions in the context of mobile service generations, where changes in transmission speed within a mobile service generation took a form of S-shape curve. 3

MART LAANPERE

PEDAGOGY-DRIVEN DESIGN OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Tallinn 2013

Laanpere, M., Põldoja, H., & Normak, P. (2013). Designing Dippler — A Next-Generation TEL System. In T. Ley, M. Ruohonen, M. Laanpere, & A. Tatnall (Eds.), Open and Social Technologies for Networked Learning (Vol. 395, pp. 91–100). Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer.

Laanpere, M., Pata, K., Normak, P., & Põldoja, H. (2012). Pedagogy-Driven Design of Digital Learning Ecosystems: The Case Study of Dippler. In E. Popescu, Q. Li, R. Klamma, H. Leung, & M. Specht (Eds.), Advances in Web-Based Learning – ICWL 2012: 11th International Conference, Sinaia, Romania, September 2-4, 2012. Proceedings (pp. 307–317). Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer.

Laanpere, M. (2013). Pedagogy-Driven Design of Virtual Learning Environments (Doctoral dissertation, Tallinn University). http://e-ait.tlulib.ee/336/

Thank You!

Hans Põldoja

Researcher

Tallinn University, Estonia

hans.poldoja@tlu.ee

http://www.hanspoldoja.net

http://www.slideshare.net/hanspoldoja